Is Governor Brown Joking with California Taxpayers?

In announcing that his estimate of the budget shortfall has ballooned from $9 billion to $16 billion in just four months, Governor Brown concluded, “But we’re getting there; we’re making real progress.” Perhaps this is further evidence that there is a fine line between being, as he described himself, “a buoyant optimist” and being just plain delusional.

Brown’s approach to the budget sounds a lot like the old joke where the pilot comes over the intercom to announce to passengers that he has good news and bad news. “The bad news is we are lost — the good news is we are ahead of schedule.”

But with Brown’s budget press conference last week, few people will mistake his material for a standup comedy routine. Even if that were his intent, Brown clearly does not understand his audience. His solution to the problem of Sacramento’s inability to balance the budget is a very unfunny tax increase.

The governor does not recognize that he and his colleagues in the Sacramento political class are not trusted by average Californians. As if any additional evidence were needed to increase their skepticism, here is a summary of the three reasons the deficit grew so quickly from CA Budget Check:

The deficit has grown from $9.2 billion to $15.7 billion. This increase was a function of $1.7 billion in spending increases since the adopted 2011-12 budget, a failure of $4 billion of “phantom revenue” to materialize and increased spending proposed for 2012-13.

Would a person of sound mind invest money in a private company managed like this? Certainly not, but the governor wants taxpayers to invest in state government with no evidence of changes or reforms that would lead to a turnaround.

If the governor would get out from under the Capitol dome a little more often he would know what the people are really thinking.

First, they believe they are overtaxed, and the figures bear this out. California ranks first in sales tax, second in gas tax and third in income tax rates. Even with Proposition 13, the state is well above the national average in per capita property tax collections.

Second, regular folks want state government reformed. Here are reforms high on their demand list:

Budget Reform: Spending is out of control and should be limited to the growth of inflation and population.

Pension Reform: State governments have nearly a half-trillion dollars in unfunded pension liability for which taxpayers are on the hook. Government workers should not be allowed to retire as young as 50 with pension benefits nearly as high as their full-time salary.

Regulatory Reform: California’s hostile regulatory environment is frequently the subject of national media coverage. As other states recover from the economic downturn and, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported, enjoy higher revenues with lower taxes, California’s business climate is driving our job creators to other locations.

The governor has acknowledged the public’s desire for reform, but says they will have to wait until after his proposed tax hikes. But voters have been burned so many times in recent years by empty promises of reform that most political insiders believe that rejection of the tax hikes is a near certainty.

Voters simply aren’t buying Jerry Brown’s tax proposal because they understand that increasing the already-high state tax burden is not the answer to our problems — problems that are created by Sacramento.

The failure to put reforms high on his priority list was perhaps the cruelest punch line of all from our esteemed Governor.

(Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association -– California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights. Originally posted on HJTA.)

These clowns up in Sacramento should be impeached. They have brought the State to financial ruins. They need to either bill the Federal Government or deport all illegals in our prisons. Why are we housing these class of people here? Deport them and make room for our own. Also they need to stop ALL funding for illegal aliens. Welfare, food stamps, healthcare and now the latest: Free college tuition for illegals. These politicians have lost their way and we are the ones paying the price with our wallets.

In my opinion, we retired veterans are one of the few groups that actually EARN our retirement benefits, and we do it the hard way. We risk our lives. So what do the politicians do? They CUT OUR benefits yet the welfare gang, who does nothing to earn anything, continue to get THEIRS. When politicians talk about cutbacks, what do they cut first? Schools, Police, Veterans, highway funds but they want to build bullet trains to nowhere. Illegals get more funds then we vets do! Maybe we should let them fight their own wars for a change. Pelosi might not be so ugly in camies.

This man needs to be recalled now he’s worse than Davis ever was. He’s already given illegals cheaper tuition and he wants more for them. That whole state legislature needs to be strung up. They are sucking us dry why pushing us into the ocean

Typical Dummocrap Rehtoric, “he’s is going to change things” This clown has not a clue as to what he is doing nor what the “real” problems are. If he really had some “gonads” he would grab the reins tightly and start with all the entitlement programs for illegals, welfare, and other wasted programs that are in force now and start cutting them down to size or eliminating them completly, myself, I prefer eliminating them. For one I would like to stop the “Free” breakfast and lunch programs in our schools. The kids only eat what they want and dump the rest. When I was in school if I wanted a “free” lunch i would work in the dish washing room. What happened to that > is it too demeaning?

no it isn’t the kids fault it is again governments. the kids are now not allowed to work not even in their families farms and ranches. it is the law in our day work was what we did we did not take hand outs we did anything that we could do to pay for pay or food. there were no hand outs it was an insult now it is give me and the law supports this nonsense. if we do nothing it will continue to get worse.

Excuse me moonbeam! But how can you stand there and say “we are getting there” when you balloon the budget deficit from $9 billion to nearly $16 billion. Exactly what are we getting? – the shaft! And where are we going? – deeper in debt and closer to bankruptcy! However, I must also add that the people of California are getting exactly what they deserve. Right after the recall election we had 4 propositions on the ballot which would address the problem of the state union workers nearly $8 billion in unfunded liabilities. But after the UNIONS spent record funds fighting it, the voters foolishly voted down all four. At nearly the same time they voted in a California record high $6 billion dollar bond issue. (Spendthrifts like to argue that bonds are bought by investment capital. But, they ignore the fact that this bond issue added nearly $2 billion in interest payments assessed against the state budget.)

The Sanfran democrats and the Democrats in Washington have to be so proud of the second idiot they pushed so hard to get back into office. What an excellent choice to prove once again how lost and ignorant the Democrat party is throughout the entire democrat electorate in the world of politics but successful in the job of destruction of all that is good; the constitution of the state of California and the Constitution of the United States of America.

right on. there is too many Dems in ca and not enough Reps or known Independants we need to get these people to put out information about themselves and what they really believe our country and states needs to do and then do it.

after what brown and the rest of the demo crapo did to education, they can all go to hell!!! why would anyone in their right mind or half an education support milk day. the demos must be having a good time in sacramento. at least we wont be paying for an female hookers!

i do not understand why people put this guy in for the third time. every time he has been in office he has done nothing to help CA. or its’ people.i did not vote for him any time he ran his promises are worthless. he and his farther ruined the state of CA. between the CA. Government and the unions they have cost CA. just about everything. he should be recalled and someone with common sense put in,in his place. as far as i am concerned he is not fit to be in Sac.

Brown isn’t joking…he is the joke…just like last time. Reform the outlandish pension system, make business more welcome with less regulation and taxes, and stop dancing to union songs. Stop coddling illegals and funding them. Folks can do their part…stop voting for liberals that want to spend your money foolishly. Stop voting for measures that raise taxes on anybody that don’t solve one darn problem or help our economy. Think about term limits so our career politicians can get a real job spending their own money. Just a few of my thoughts.

Dollar to a DoNut, we’ll find out that the original $9B, and the new $16B, are just integers, and the realistic total is in the neighborhood of their total: $25B!
This group is great at spending money, not so good at keeping track.

Actually Brown is smart, but like most libs he is talking to the choir. They don’t have any respect for us, their opposition. Until we get enough votes to throw the pols out, we might as well get ready for the bankrupt state we have all voted in.

Doesn’t look like Brown has gotten any smarter than the 1st time he was gov. We need someone like gov. Scott Walker whom has some real brass extensions, that can stand up to the unions. there are only 52 weeks in a year, how come our union people can stack up many more for retirement, if you don’t take your vacation during the year, you lose it. schools are closed for summer recess, so how can the teachers keep building on their retirement,,,,ENOUGH IS ENOUGH